HD41 - Report of The Commission on Population Growth and Development
Executive Summary: During the past twenty years we have seen unprecedented growth and change in Virginia. Over 6.2 million people live in the Commonwealth today, a 15.7% increase in the past ten years alone. We are expecting at least another 2.5 million new residents over the next 30 years. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, Virginia was the fifth fastest growing state in the country. Even during this. past year, when Virginia has experienced a decline in its growth rate, the challenges facing the Commonwealth with respect to population growth and development have not diminished. Now Virginia must develop strategies that address not only the needs of urban areas, often left with rising infrastructure costs but declining fiscal resources, but also the needs of rural areas of the state that traditionally have experienced a declining population and resource base. During the 1980's, Virginia joined with its neighbors, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia to address the effects of growth and development on a shared natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay. The 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement embodies this cooperative approach. An important goal of that agreement, which was signed by all three states as well as the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was to "plan for and manage the adverse environmental effects of human population growth and land development in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed." One result of the commitment to that goal was the establishment of the Year 2020 Panel which examined the impact of projected population growth rates and development patterns on the health of the Bay. The Panel report found that population growth and an increasing per capita consumption of land were having, and will continue to have, a detrimental effect on the water quality and living resources of the Bay as well as the quality of life in the region. The Year 2020 Panel recommended that each of the states involved establish a commission to promote the preparation and implementation of state-level planning and coordination with respect to these issues. Virginia's representatives on the Year 2020 Panel recognized, however, that growth issues are not confined to the Bay's watershed, or even to those areas experiencing the highest rates of growth. Therefore in 1989, the Virginia General Assembly created a 19-member Commission on Population Growth and Development to "evaluate and recommend a statewide planning process". The results of the first year of Commission work were presented to the General Assembly in 1990, in House Document 40. This document included the following findings: • Virginia can expect at least two and one-half million new residents by the year 2020. • Development patterns have changed significantly. Today two-thirds of the Commonwealth's population live in urban areas (one-third of the state) as compared to 1945 when two-thirds of our residents lived in rural areas. • Virginia is experiencing a decreasing household size coupled with an increasing per capita consumption of land. • The benefits of growth have not been shared equally across the Commonwealth. Significant areas of the state are declining in population and resources. • Many Virginians are concerned about the loss of community character, deterioration of the environment, and the ability of governments to pay for infrastructure and services. One of the recommendations of House Document 40 was to expand the membership of the Commission to 33 members to better represent the range of issues related to growth and development. Twenty-three commission members are citizens; ten are members of the General Assembly (see Appendix 1). The Governor's Cabinet serves as an Advisory Council to the Commission. In 1991, Delegate W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr. continued as Chairman and Senator Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr., as Vice-Chairman. Also as a result of the 1990 General Assembly action, the Commission was given the following charges: • to study and evaluate the consequences of present and anticipated changes in population and land patterns of development on the economic vitality and environmental health of all regions of the Commonwealth; • to develop initiatives which ensure that adequate planning, coordination and data dissemination occur at all levels of government to guide population growth and development in Virginia, including consideration of the appropriate state, regional and local responsibilities; • to recommend alternatives for meeting the funding requirements of infrastructure improvements and conservation measures which will enhance the Commonwealth's ability to manage its population growth and development; • to propose innovative and cooperative land management techniques that will accommodate population growth and development; • to examine and evaluate methods of coordinating activities of the General Assembly and state agencies relating to matters of population growth and development, including but not limited to consideration of a statewide planning process and the role of the state in such a process; and • to report annually its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly. |
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